I have four cats. Two are 5-year-old male littermates.
This morning I was preparing their breakfast (canned food
- a flavor they love - warmed and in a bowl). They were
both in the kitchen/dining room with me while I was doing
this, so I put their food up on the dining room table for
them, as I often do. They both sort of smelled, licked once,
and jumped down!

Now, keep in mind that they often are fed - and eat - their
food on the table. But today they wanted to be weird.

So I took both bowls and went to their favorite eating
places: PC on the computer table and Mac on a table in the
master bedroom.

Once the food was there, they ate like there was no
tomorrow!

Anyone else have cats who won't eat unless the food dish
is in their special place?

8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~

"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson
*************************************************
http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/

Ted Davis

December 2nd 03, 10:14 PM

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 19:29:58 GMT, Suzie-Q >
wrote:

>I have four cats. Two are 5-year-old male littermates.
>This morning I was preparing their breakfast (canned food
>- a flavor they love - warmed and in a bowl). They were
>both in the kitchen/dining room with me while I was doing
>this, so I put their food up on the dining room table for
>them, as I often do. They both sort of smelled, licked once,
>and jumped down!
>
>Now, keep in mind that they often are fed - and eat - their
>food on the table. But today they wanted to be weird.
>
>So I took both bowls and went to their favorite eating
>places: PC on the computer table and Mac on a table in the
>master bedroom.
>
>Once the food was there, they ate like there was no
>tomorrow!
>
>Anyone else have cats who won't eat unless the food dish
>is in their special place?

I have one that almost never eats anything *in* a bowl - be pulls it
out onto the floor before eating. He has even tried doing that with
milk, but gave up trying and at least takes liquids from the bowl.

T.E.D. )
SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D."
somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected.

Ted Davis

December 2nd 03, 10:14 PM

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 19:29:58 GMT, Suzie-Q >
wrote:

>I have four cats. Two are 5-year-old male littermates.
>This morning I was preparing their breakfast (canned food
>- a flavor they love - warmed and in a bowl). They were
>both in the kitchen/dining room with me while I was doing
>this, so I put their food up on the dining room table for
>them, as I often do. They both sort of smelled, licked once,
>and jumped down!
>
>Now, keep in mind that they often are fed - and eat - their
>food on the table. But today they wanted to be weird.
>
>So I took both bowls and went to their favorite eating
>places: PC on the computer table and Mac on a table in the
>master bedroom.
>
>Once the food was there, they ate like there was no
>tomorrow!
>
>Anyone else have cats who won't eat unless the food dish
>is in their special place?

I have one that almost never eats anything *in* a bowl - be pulls it
out onto the floor before eating. He has even tried doing that with
milk, but gave up trying and at least takes liquids from the bowl.

T.E.D. )
SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D."
somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected.

m. L. Briggs

December 2nd 03, 10:47 PM

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 19:29:58 GMT, Suzie-Q >
wrote:

>I have four cats. Two are 5-year-old male littermates.
>This morning I was preparing their breakfast (canned food
>- a flavor they love - warmed and in a bowl). They were
>both in the kitchen/dining room with me while I was doing
>this, so I put their food up on the dining room table for
>them, as I often do. They both sort of smelled, licked once,
>and jumped down!
>
>Now, keep in mind that they often are fed - and eat - their
>food on the table. But today they wanted to be weird.
>
>So I took both bowls and went to their favorite eating
>places: PC on the computer table and Mac on a table in the
>master bedroom.
>
>Once the food was there, they ate like there was no
>tomorrow!
>
>Anyone else have cats who won't eat unless the food dish
>is in their special place?
>
>8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
>~~~~~~
>
> "I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
> today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson
>*************************************************
> http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
> http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/
Princess used to play a game of leading me from room to room. When
she finally decided where she wanted to eat she would touch her nose
to the floor (put it here) . We both enjoyed the game.

m. L. Briggs

December 2nd 03, 10:47 PM

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 19:29:58 GMT, Suzie-Q >
wrote:

>I have four cats. Two are 5-year-old male littermates.
>This morning I was preparing their breakfast (canned food
>- a flavor they love - warmed and in a bowl). They were
>both in the kitchen/dining room with me while I was doing
>this, so I put their food up on the dining room table for
>them, as I often do. They both sort of smelled, licked once,
>and jumped down!
>
>Now, keep in mind that they often are fed - and eat - their
>food on the table. But today they wanted to be weird.
>
>So I took both bowls and went to their favorite eating
>places: PC on the computer table and Mac on a table in the
>master bedroom.
>
>Once the food was there, they ate like there was no
>tomorrow!
>
>Anyone else have cats who won't eat unless the food dish
>is in their special place?
>
>8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
>~~~~~~
>
> "I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
> today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson
>*************************************************
> http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
> http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/
Princess used to play a game of leading me from room to room. When
she finally decided where she wanted to eat she would touch her nose
to the floor (put it here) . We both enjoyed the game.

James Collins

December 6th 03, 10:27 PM

Yea, one of my cats prefers to eat any pieces of dry food that has been
knocked out of the bowl BEFORE eating out of the bowl, almost as if to help
in cleaning up, the only way he can.
The other cat is often seen going through the motions of covering his food
up. The floor is vinyl, but aparently there is some imaginary dirt there,
cause he is going through the motions of burying it.

James Collins

December 6th 03, 10:27 PM

Yea, one of my cats prefers to eat any pieces of dry food that has been
knocked out of the bowl BEFORE eating out of the bowl, almost as if to help
in cleaning up, the only way he can.
The other cat is often seen going through the motions of covering his food
up. The floor is vinyl, but aparently there is some imaginary dirt there,
cause he is going through the motions of burying it.

Ted Davis

December 7th 03, 02:22 AM

On Sat, 06 Dec 2003 21:27:24 GMT, "James Collins"
> wrote:

>Yea, one of my cats prefers to eat any pieces of dry food that has been
>knocked out of the bowl BEFORE eating out of the bowl, almost as if to help
>in cleaning up, the only way he can.
>The other cat is often seen going through the motions of covering his food
>up. The floor is vinyl, but aparently there is some imaginary dirt there,
>cause he is going through the motions of burying it.
>

I finally found three dry foods (two flavors on one brand and one of
another) that none of my cats try to bury and is relished by all
thirteen of my cats, the neighbor's cat that hunts over here, one
feral cat, several possums, a coon, and the dog that keeps the coon
and possums away (well, she is supposed to).

T.E.D. - e-mail must contain "T.E.D." or my .sig in the body)

Ted Davis

December 7th 03, 02:22 AM

On Sat, 06 Dec 2003 21:27:24 GMT, "James Collins"
> wrote:

>Yea, one of my cats prefers to eat any pieces of dry food that has been
>knocked out of the bowl BEFORE eating out of the bowl, almost as if to help
>in cleaning up, the only way he can.
>The other cat is often seen going through the motions of covering his food
>up. The floor is vinyl, but aparently there is some imaginary dirt there,
>cause he is going through the motions of burying it.
>

I finally found three dry foods (two flavors on one brand and one of
another) that none of my cats try to bury and is relished by all
thirteen of my cats, the neighbor's cat that hunts over here, one
feral cat, several possums, a coon, and the dog that keeps the coon
and possums away (well, she is supposed to).

T.E.D. - e-mail must contain "T.E.D." or my .sig in the body)

Hans Schrøder

December 7th 03, 03:36 AM

"James Collins" > wrote in message
. com...
> Yea, one of my cats prefers to eat any pieces of dry food that has been
> knocked out of the bowl BEFORE eating out of the bowl, almost as if to
help
> in cleaning up, the only way he can.
> The other cat is often seen going through the motions of covering his food
> up. The floor is vinyl, but aparently there is some imaginary dirt there,
> cause he is going through the motions of burying it.
>
The burying motions is a natural instinct. It says somehing like "Ok, I've
had enough for now, but I will bury the rest so I can come back and eat it
later, when I need it." So it is not the same as when they bury their doings
in the cat litter. In the first case, they "bury" the food to prevent it
from being stolen by other animals, in the latter, they bury their doings to
hide their smell from the dominant leader. This is a sign of submission.

--
Hans
(Norwegians like cats, too)

Hans Schrøder

December 7th 03, 03:36 AM

"James Collins" > wrote in message
. com...
> Yea, one of my cats prefers to eat any pieces of dry food that has been
> knocked out of the bowl BEFORE eating out of the bowl, almost as if to
help
> in cleaning up, the only way he can.
> The other cat is often seen going through the motions of covering his food
> up. The floor is vinyl, but aparently there is some imaginary dirt there,
> cause he is going through the motions of burying it.
>
The burying motions is a natural instinct. It says somehing like "Ok, I've
had enough for now, but I will bury the rest so I can come back and eat it
later, when I need it." So it is not the same as when they bury their doings
in the cat litter. In the first case, they "bury" the food to prevent it
from being stolen by other animals, in the latter, they bury their doings to
hide their smell from the dominant leader. This is a sign of submission.

--
Hans
(Norwegians like cats, too)

Ted Davis

December 7th 03, 05:25 PM

On Sun, 7 Dec 2003 03:36:43 +0100, "Hans Schrøder"
> wrote:

>"James Collins" > wrote in message
. com...
>> Yea, one of my cats prefers to eat any pieces of dry food that has been
>> knocked out of the bowl BEFORE eating out of the bowl, almost as if to
>help
>> in cleaning up, the only way he can.
>> The other cat is often seen going through the motions of covering his food
>> up. The floor is vinyl, but aparently there is some imaginary dirt there,
>> cause he is going through the motions of burying it.
>>
>The burying motions is a natural instinct. It says somehing like "Ok, I've
>had enough for now, but I will bury the rest so I can come back and eat it
>later, when I need it." So it is not the same as when they bury their doings
>in the cat litter. In the first case, they "bury" the food to prevent it
>from being stolen by other animals, in the latter, they bury their doings to
>hide their smell from the dominant leader. This is a sign of submission.

Two observations: even hungry cats try to bury food they don't think
is eatable - some fill refuse to eat it for so long that they loose
serious amounts of weight; cats don't have leaders - they are not pack
or herd animals.

T.E.D. - e-mail must contain "T.E.D." or my .sig in the body)

Ted Davis

December 7th 03, 05:25 PM

On Sun, 7 Dec 2003 03:36:43 +0100, "Hans Schrøder"
> wrote:

>"James Collins" > wrote in message
. com...
>> Yea, one of my cats prefers to eat any pieces of dry food that has been
>> knocked out of the bowl BEFORE eating out of the bowl, almost as if to
>help
>> in cleaning up, the only way he can.
>> The other cat is often seen going through the motions of covering his food
>> up. The floor is vinyl, but aparently there is some imaginary dirt there,
>> cause he is going through the motions of burying it.
>>
>The burying motions is a natural instinct. It says somehing like "Ok, I've
>had enough for now, but I will bury the rest so I can come back and eat it
>later, when I need it." So it is not the same as when they bury their doings
>in the cat litter. In the first case, they "bury" the food to prevent it
>from being stolen by other animals, in the latter, they bury their doings to
>hide their smell from the dominant leader. This is a sign of submission.

Two observations: even hungry cats try to bury food they don't think
is eatable - some fill refuse to eat it for so long that they loose
serious amounts of weight; cats don't have leaders - they are not pack
or herd animals.